The Sacred and the Profane (Mircea Eliade)

In "The Sacred and the Profane," Mircea Eliade explores how human beings experience and understand the world through the concepts of the sacred (religious, spiritual, and divine) and the profane (ordinary, everyday life). He argues that the sacred represents a realm of meaning and purpose, where rituals and myths connect people to something greater than themselves. In contrast, the profane encompasses daily existence devoid of such significance. Eliade emphasizes that societies create structures and rituals to bridge these realms, allowing individuals to experience the divine in their lives, hence reflecting humanity's innate search for meaning and transcendence.